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Lost in America

Why "likability" isn't enough in a president.

By

James Taranto

May 30, 2012

In a lengthy (7,000-word) feature for New York magazine, political journalist John Heilemann provides an intimate, and not altogether flattering, look into Barack Obama's re-election campaign. We were especially struck by this quote (the elision of naughty words is ours, not Heilemann's):

"Romney really, actually thinks that if you just take care of the folks at the top, it'll trickle down to everybody else," says another Obama operative. "But no one believes that stuff--no one! And once you puncture that, there's nothing left. He's not likable. He's not trustworthy. He's not on your side. You live in...